daily IMPACT by selahV today

Where Is Your Confidence?

There have been times in my life when I lacked confidence.  When I gave my first speech in 4-H competition at age thirteen.  When I applied for jobs.  When I became a mother.  In fact, there are still times I feel inadequate.  I question my abilities. I believe the voice that tells me I am incompetent, that I do not know what I am talking about.  I think about what I am doing today and stand amazed that I am able to do it.  Who am I that I should--well, whatever--do anything at all?  Who am I that anyone should listen to me?  To read my words, to trust them?

I sit here writing this and realize everything I say is just words without Christ.  I think about my life and what I have accomplished.  I find myself wondering about past ministries and people I counseled.  And I am reminded by Paul's words to the Corinthians that I have no claim at all to competence--none whatsoever. 

"Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

 Indeed, my friends, the only confidence we have is in Christ Jesus.  We have nothing to measure another man's soul, nothing to determine another man's heart-felt motives.  Only Christ knows the good we are doing in His name.  Even the evil we see shown by others--the arrogance, the pride-filled rhetoric, the condemning statements--those are not ours to claim some superior knowledge of.  All that we do--words or deeds--rest entirely in the merciful, tolerant, forgiving nail-scarred hands of Christ.  The final judge.  Any competence we show the world with the little light we shed comes from God.  Who are we to boast of any greater knowledge of Him?  Who are we to mock another as having less knowledge than we?  Who are we that God is mindful of us at all?  selahV

SHOULD YOU MUZZLE IT?

Sometimes the greatest temptation on earth for me is to say what I think.  And so often what I think is not the most beneficial thing to be saying at a particular moment with a particular individual. There are times I want to answer as I've been spoken to.  There are times I want to engage and opine when what I could say would not persuade another one whit.  There are times I have answers to another's opinion that would make them think twice before telling their tales to me.  HOWEVER...

"I said, I will take heed and guard my ways, that I may sin not with my tongue; I will muzzle my mouth as with a bridle while the wicked are before me." Psalm 39:1.

Notice folks that the muzzle is like a bridle.  I want the Lord to guide my tongue, my emotions, my reasoning, and my discernment in dealing with those before me, especially when I am talking with those with whom there is no possible way one can converse.  May God keep me forever and continually pliant and yielding in His grace and humility.  I don't have all the answers.  Only He does.  selahV

[© SelahV Today, hariette petersen, 2008, reprint2009]

KEEPING SCORE

Some folks would rather make points than get points. I don’t much care about points. When I play dominoes, rummy or most any game, I never keep score. I tell my granddaughters who always want to be the “winner” that it’s not about winning, it is about playing the game and having fun.

One of my favorite sports is soccer. When they play I always hope for a tie-game. Everybody wins that way; everybody’s happy, right? Nope. Some folks get mad, really mad if they have not accumulated enough points to win the game. I hear kids walk away from the court muttering that the referee wasn’t fair, or they got pushed or blaming another teammate for failing to block the opponent’s goal. The same person turns a deaf ear to the coach when the coach tries to tell them what to do on the field.

“A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain [for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it], but knowledge is easy to him who [being teachable] understands. Go from the presence of a foolish and self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.” Proverbs 14:6,7.

Some folks are unteachable. Unreachable. Unapproachable. They rarely ask for assistance because they already know how to do things and how others should do them. Should they ever ask a question, they pretty much have their minds made up about the answer and anyone’s input is moot.

Others bend over backwards to try and learn. They reach out and expend themselves in charity, gentleness, and humility. They pray for wisdom. They seek counsel from others more godly than they are.

One group finds no wisdom. Their attitude deafens them and blinds them to it. The other group finds knowledge is easy to understand because they are teachable. To which group do you belong? selahV

[copyrighted, NOV 7 2008, selahvtoday, hariette petersen]

SLANDER NOT THE LORD, WE ARE AMBASSADORS, AFTER ALL

Have you ever slandered the Lord? I'm not talking about swearing or using His name in vain.  I'm not talking about making a mistake in an impulsive reaction to some difficulty or irritation.  I'm talking about slandering the Lord with actions.

Oswald Chambers writes:

“Righteousness must never be made to mean less than a guiltless position in the presence of justice and right. God justifies me by my supernatural faith in Him, but it is my just walk that proves Him just in saving me; if I do not walk in the life of faith, I am a slander to God.”

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us…For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him by His goodness].” 2 Cor. 5:20a, 21. Amplified

When we consider the fact that the Lord, in His mercy and love, gave His only begotten Son to afford those of us who believe in Him to be made righteous, an awesome fear of the Lord should invade every fiber of our being. Our walk of faith should be so readied for battle that not one portion of our mind, body, soul or spirit could be penetrated with a sliver from satan’s spears.  Can this be possible?

Oh to live in such faith that every move I make, every word I speak, every thought I ponder glorifies my Lord. For He is worthy of an ambassador true to His sacrifice.

GIVE US YOUR STRENGTH, O LORD, MY REDEEMER. Give us YOUR strength. selahV

[copyrighted, SelahV Today, Nov. 30, 2007, reprinted, Mar.09]